UK - Whitbread shares jump on private equity rumours

Shares in leisure group Whitbread rose by 11% in one day yesterday amid speculation that a private equity group is on the brink of launching a bid for the name behind the Premier Travel Inn, David Lloyd leisure, Beefeater pubs and Costa Coffee brands. Starwood Capital, CVC, Cinven and Blackstone are all groups that are understood to be interested. Starwood Capital has so far not been active in Europe, having completed just one deal in recent years - the EUR 2.6bn buyout of Groupe Taittinger in France in 2005.